11 June 2026
About 270 Nigerian citizens queue to return to Nigeria on Wednesday as anti-immigrant protests spread across South Africa. Photos: Ihsaan Haffejee
Honour Charles was one of about 270 people queuing outside the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria to board a bus to the airport on Wednesday.
“I have been in South Africa for 14 years so leaving in these circumstances is very painful. I don’t feel like I have a choice. I put everything in God’s hands and hope for the best,” said Charles.
This was the first group of Nigerian nationals to take up the offer of voluntary repatriation to board a charter flight from Johannesburg to Lagos.
The flight, organised by the Nigerian government, departed from OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday night following weeks of anti-immigrant protests and violence.
Outside the Nigerian High Commission, people stood with suitcases and backpacks as officials completed final preparations for their departure.
Nigerian citizens wait outside the Nigerian High Commission with their luggage in the hope that they will be added to the list for voluntary repatriation.
Officials screened passengers, some with children, before departure. Nigerian and South African immigration authorities verified travel documents, while police checked that none of the passengers had outstanding criminal cases.
Michael Yzor had not made the list for the flight but joined the line, hoping to get on a later flight also organised by the Nigerian government.
“We know we cannot be protected by the government here. It’s better for us to go home,” said Yzor.
According to Nigerian authorities, more than 1,000 citizens living in South Africa have registered to return home. Additional flights are expected in the coming weeks.
A little girl with her pink teddy bear prepare to board a bus for a flight to Nigeria.
Michael Maduka said anxiety caused by videos of anti-immigrant violence on social media as well as the 30 June deadline set by March and March for immigrants to leave the country contributed to his decision to leave.
“I believe it’s best for me to leave instead of going through the uncertainty of what might happen in the near future,” said Maduka.
Speaking at the airport in Johannesburg, Consul-General Ninikanwa Olachi Okey-Uche said many of those leaving had lost their livelihoods.
“We have a full flight, nearly 270 people today,” she said. “They’re leaving because they don’t feel safe. Some of them are stranded. Some of them are destitute and they haven’t been able to afford the ticket home.”
She said the Nigerian government intervened after receiving requests for help from citizens who wanted to return home.
A young child waves goodbye to a relative.
A man waves to friends and family as the bus departs Pretoria.
According to Okey-Uche, some Nigerians had also become concerned about possible detention or fines linked to expired visas or immigration documentation.
Okey-Uche criticised groups targeting immigrants, saying concerns should be addressed through legal processes.
“Every country has immigration issues,” she said.
“But they must be dealt with lawfully. Citizens cannot take the law into their own hands.”
Police check documents at the terminal.
The evacuation follows similar efforts by other African governments who have expressed concern about the safety of their citizens in South Africa.
Department of Home Affairs head of immigration and law enforcement Stephen van Neel said officials found widespread immigration irregularities among many of those who were leaving.
He said that the majority of those processed were either undocumented, had overstayed their visas or permits, or were otherwise not complying with immigration laws.
A family arrive at the airport to board a flight back to Nigeria on Wednesday night.
